Systems and methods for providing media content for continous watching

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are described for providing media content for continuous watching. A rewind command is received while a first episode of a series is generated for display. In response, and without detecting a further command to skip a portion of an episode, the first episode of the series is rewound. Then, in response to rewinding the first episode to the beginning, title credits of the first episode and end credits of a previous episode of the series are automatically skipped; and the previous episode of the series is automatically rewound.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to systems for providing media content,and more particularly to systems and related processes for providing acontinuous watching mode and for providing fast-forward and rewindoperations in the continuous watching mode.

SUMMARY

Modern computerized media distribution systems often provide mediacontent items that are related to each other. For example, mediadistributions systems can provide content that is organized intoseasons, each season including several sequential episodes. Users oftendesire consuming such episodes continuously (e.g., by watching oneepisode after another). Modern media distribution systems lack theability to allow users to watch such sequential episodes withoutinterruption between episodes, for example, because of the time it takesto start delivering a new episode from a remote server. In addition,such systems show starting and ending credits of the episodes, wastingbandwidth and further degrading the user experience. A “skip” button maybe provided for skipping past the opening credits. But, such an approachstill slows down the delivery of an episode because of an inevitableuser delay in pressing the skip button. Another definitely of suchapproaches is their poor fast-forward and rewind functionality. Forexample, only the currently playing episode may be rewound orfast-forwarded. If the user desires to begin rewinding a previousepisode, such an episode will have to be separately requested, and onlythen would the rewind option become available.

To address the shortcomings of the aforementioned approaches, systemsand methods for a continuous watching mode are described herein having acontinuous watching mode that virtually merges multiple episodes intoone virtual media content. For example, the media delivery applicationmay receive a command to play a series in a continuous watching mode. Inone example, a user may select a show and click on a “play” button afterchecking a “continuous watching mode” button via a user interface. Aftersuch command is received, the media delivery application begins playingthe episodes of the show continuously without the need to receive anyother user commands related to skipping any portions of any episode. Forexample, the media delivery application may begin playing a firstepisode and automatically skip the end credits of that episode. When thefirst episode concludes, the media delivery application automaticallygenerates for display the next episode of the series while skipping thetitle credits of the next episode. As mentioned above, advantageously,the media delivery application performs the skips without the need toreceive any user commands requesting such skips. The technique can befurther extended to play multiple episodes back-to-back withoutinterruption, creating an appearance of a single media asset. Suchtechniques significantly improve the operation of computerized mediadistribution systems by allowing automatic playing of several episodesin a row, with irrelevant portions skipped without explicit skipcommands, thus optimizing the use of network resources and improvinguser experience.

The media delivery application may also provide fast-forward and rewindoperation while operating in continuous watching mode. For example, themedia delivery application may provide smooth rewind and fast-forwardoperations of multiple episodes as if they were combined into a singlevirtual media content (with all credits automatically skipped).

For example, when the media delivery application receives a rewindcommand while an episode of a series is being shown, the media deliveryapplication begins rewinding it. When the episode is rewound to thebeginning, the media delivery application automatically skips titlecredits of that episode and end credits of a previous episode of theseries, and smoothly continues to rewind from the end of the previousepisode. Similarly, when the media delivery application receives afast-forward command while an episode of a series is being shown, themedia delivery application fast-forwards it. When the episode has beenfast-forwarded to an end, the media delivery application automaticallyskips end credits of that episode and title credits of a next episode ofthe series, and smoothly begins to fast-forward through the next episodeof the series.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencecharacters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative scenario for a media delivery applicationproviding media content in a continuous watching mode, in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative scenario for a media delivery applicationproviding rewind functionality in a continuous watching mode, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative scenario for a media delivery applicationproviding fast-forward functionality in a continuous watching mode, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative user interface provided by the mediadelivery application, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts another illustrative user interface provided by the mediadelivery application, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts another illustrative scenario for a media deliveryapplication providing media content in a continuous watching mode, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative block diagram of a system hosting the mediadelivery application, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 8 is an illustrative block diagram showing additional details of asystem hosting the media delivery application, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 9 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for providingmedia content in a continuous watching mode, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 10 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for providingrewind functionality for a continuous watching mode, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for providingfast-forward functionality continuous watching mode, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for buffering ofepisodes of a show, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure; and

FIG. 13 depicts an illustrative flowchart of a process for identifyingtitles portions of an episode, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative scenario for a media delivery applicationproviding media content in a continuous watching mode. A continuouswatching mode may refer to any mode of delivering media content (e.g.,TV shows, movies, music, audio books, etc.) such that consecutive mediacontent items (e.g., episodes of a TV show or tracks of an album) aredelivered one after another without additional requests for content. Forexample, continuous watching mode may refer a remote server streaming TVshow episodes to a user device (e.g., over the Internet) one afteranother. The term “continuous watching mode” is synonymous with the term“binge mode” and both of these terms may be used interchangeablythroughout the specification and the figures.

FIG. 1 depicts user 102 requesting a delivery of content (e.g., deliveryof the “Game of Thrones” show) using user interface 104 (e.g., usinguser interface depicted in FIG. 4 , below). User interface 104 may beused to explicitly request the binge mode presentation. In someembodiments, the user interface may automatically engage in the bingemode (e.g., based on time of day).

When the request to deliver content (e.g., to stream “Game of Thrones”)is received, the media delivery application may begin playing Episode 1of the series. Episode 1 may include title credits 106, content portion108, and end credits 110. Title credits typically include informationabout the show and may include an opening sequence that is common to allepisodes of the show. End credits can include cast information aboutactors who performed in the episode. Commonly, end credits are the sameor very similar for all episodes of the same show.

The media delivery application automatically skips 112 title credits 106of Episode 1 (e.g., Episode 1 of “Game of Thrones”). In oneimplementation, the title credits 106 of Episode 1 are played, but allother title credits of subsequent episodes are skipped. Then, the mediadelivery application plays 114 content portion 108 of Episode 1 asnormal. When content portion 108 concludes, the media deliveryapplication skips 116 end credits 110 of Episode 1. Subsequently, themedia delivery application immediately begins playing 126 the Episode 2of the series (e.g., Episode 1 of “Game of Thrones”). In someembodiments, the media delivery application skips 124 title credits 118of Episode 2. End credits 122 may also be skipped 128.

The media delivery application then begins playing 126 content portion120 of Episode 2 without any kind of interruption. In some embodiments,the media delivery application creates an appearance of content portion108 and content portion 120 being a single media asset. When the mediadelivery application concludes playing 126 content portion 120 ofEpisode 2, the media delivery application may skip 128 end credits 122of Episode 2. In some embodiments, the media delivery application maythen proceed to play Episode 3 (not shown) in the same manner asdescribed above with respect to Episode 2. For example, skipping episodeportions 106, 110, 118, and 122 is accomplished by identifying whichframes of the episodes belong to title or end credits, and preventinggeneration for display of the identified frames. For example, the mediadelivery application may receive metadata identifying credit frames. Insome embodiments, the media delivery application may compare episodes toeach other to identify similar segments. Such segments can then bemarked as credit segments to be skipped.

When the last frame of content portion 108 of Episode 1 is finishedbeing generated for display, the media delivery application mayimmediately generate for display the first frame of content portion 120of Episode 2. Such transition is designed to make sure that Episode 2 ispresented right after Episode 1, without interruption. In someembodiments, the media delivery application may begin buffering framesof Episode 2 while Episode 1 is still playing to ensure a smoothtransition. For example, thirty seconds before portion 108 finishesplaying (or before another predetermined time period, e.g., one minute),the media delivery application may buffer enough frames of portion 120of Episode 2 to ensure a smooth transitions to playing episode 2, whilesections 110 and 118 are skipped.

The media delivery application may perform all of steps 112, 114, 116,124, 126, and 128 without receiving any input from the user related toskipping through content. This allows the media delivery application toachieve the best bandwidth utilization (by automatically skippingneedless portions of the episodes) while improving the user experienceby not burdening the user with the need to provide more input.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative scenario for a media delivery applicationproviding rewind functionality in a continuous watching mode. Forexample, the media delivery application may provide the rewindfunctionality for a show being played in binge mode as shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 depicts user 202 (e.g., the same user as user 102 of FIG. 1 )requesting a rewind using any kind of user interface 204 (e.g., usinguser interface depicted in FIG. 5 , below). User interface 204 may, forexample, include a button labeled “Rewind.” In some embodiments, user202 continues to hold the rewind button to rewind media content.Alternatively, after a single press of a rewind button, the mediadelivery application may perform a rewind operation until another inputis received.

FIG. 2 depicts a user rewinding through two episodes of the same show(e.g., through Episodes 1 and 2 of “Game of Thrones”). Episode 1 mayinclude title credits 206, content portion 208, and end credits 210.Episode 2 may include title credits 218, content portion 220, and endcredits 222. In the shown example, user 202 requests rewind (e.g., byusing user interface 204) when the media delivery application is playingback Episode 2 from initial play position 228. Initial play position 228may be in the middle of content portion 220.

In some embodiments, in response to the rewind command, the mediadelivery application begins rewinding 226 Episode 2. In someembodiments, rewinding through an episode is performed by generatingframes of the first episode for display in a reverse order.Additionally, some frames may be skipped during the rewind operationand/or the rate at which the frames of the first episode are generatedfor display may be increased.

When the rewind operation reaches title credits 218 portion of Episode2, the media delivery application skips 224 title credits 218. At thispoint, the media delivery application smoothly continues to rewindthrough Episode 1 of the show. For example, the media deliveryapplication may skip 216 end credits 210 and smoothly begin to rewind216 content portions 208 of Episode 1. In some embodiments, the user mayrequest an end of rewind operation when the rewind operation reachesposition 212. In some embodiments, the media delivery application maythen begin to play Episode 1 from position 212. In some embodiments, therewinding is performed as if portion 208 and portion 220 were one mediacontent item.

End credits and title credits are identified as described with respectto FIG. 1 . When frames of the end credits and title credits areidentified, the media delivery application may refrain from generationfor display of the identified frames during the rewind operation. Forexample, when the first frame of the portion 220 is shown in the rewindmode, the media delivery application may immediately show the last frameof portion 208. In some embodiments, the media delivery application maybegin buffering frames of Episode 1 while Episode 2 is still beingrewound to ensure a smooth transition. For example, five seconds beforeportion 220 is finished being rewound (or before another predeterminedtime period, e.g., 10 seconds), the media delivery application maybuffer enough frames of portion 208 of Episode 1 to ensure a smoothtransition to rewinding Episode 1, while sections 218 and 210 areskipped.

The media delivery application may perform all of steps 226, 224, 216,and 214 without receiving any input from the user related to skippingthrough content (other than the initial rewind command). This allows themedia delivery application to achieve the best bandwidth utilization (byautomatically skipping needless portions of the episodes) whileimproving the user experience by not burdening the user with the need toprovide more input or to request different episodes.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative scenario for a media delivery applicationproviding fast-forward functionality in a continuous watching mode. Forexample, the media delivery application may provide the fast-forwardfunctionality for a show being played in binge mode as shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 depicts user 302 (e.g., the same user as user 102 of FIG. 1 )requesting a fast-forward operation using any kind of user interface 304(e.g., using user interface depicted in FIG. 5 , below). User interface304 may, for example, include a button labeled “Fast-forward.” In someembodiments, user 302 continues to hold the fast-forward button tofast-forward media content. Alternatively, after a single press of afast-forward button, the media delivery application may perform afast-forward operation until another input is received.

FIG. 3 depicts a user rewinding through two episodes of the same show(e.g., through Episodes 1 and 2 of “Game of Thrones”). Episode 1 mayinclude title credits 306, content portion, 308, and end credits 310.Episode 2 may include title credits 318, content portion 320, and endcredits 322. In the shown example, user 302 requests fast-forward (e.g.,by using user interface 304) when the media delivery application isplaying back Episode 1 from initial play position 312. Initial playposition 312 may be in the middle of content portion 308.

In some embodiments, in response to the fast-forward command, the mediadelivery application begins fast-forwarding 314 Episode 1. In someembodiments, fast-forwarding through an episode is performed bygenerating frames of the first episode for display in a forwarddirection while some frames may be skipped during the fast-forwardoperation, and/or the rate at which the frames of an episode aregenerated for display may be increased.

When the media delivery application reaches end credits 310 portion ofEpisode 1, the media delivery application skips 316 title credits 310.At this point, the media delivery application smoothly continues tofast-forward through Episode 2 of the show. For example, the mediadelivery application may skip 324 title credits 318 and smoothly beginto fast-forward 326 content portion 320 of episode 2. In someembodiments, the user may request an end of fast-forward operation whenthe fast-forward operation reaches position 328. In some embodiments,the media delivery application may then begin to play Episode 2 fromposition 328. In some embodiments, the fast-forward is performed as ifportion 308 and portions 320 were one media content item.

In some embodiments, end credits and title credits are identified asdescribed with respect to FIG. 1 . When frames of the end credits andtitle credits are identified, the media delivery application may refrainfrom generation for display the identified frames during thefast-forward operation. For example, when the last frame of the portion308 is shown in the fast-forward mode, the media delivery applicationmay immediately show the first frame of portion 320. In someembodiments, the media delivery application may begin buffering framesof Episode 2 while Episode 1 is still being fast-forwarded to ensure asmooth transition. For example, five seconds before portion 308 isfinished being the fast-forwarded (or before another predetermined timeperiod, e.g., 10 seconds), the media delivery application may bufferenough frames of portion 320 of Episode 2 to ensure a smooth transitionto the fast-forward Episode 2, while sections 310 and 318 are skipped.

In some embodiments, the media delivery application may perform all ofsteps 314, 316, 324, and 326 without receiving any input from the userrelated to skipping through content (other than the initial fast-forwardcommand). This allows the media delivery application to achieve the bestbandwidth utilization (by automatically skipping needless portions ofthe episodes) while improving the user experience by not burdening theuser with the need to provide more input or to separately request moreepisodes.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative user interface provided by the mediadelivery application, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. FIG. 4 depicts a display 400 which is used to generate fordisplay a user interface for requesting content in binge mode. Forexample, display 400 may depict TV guide 402 of a cable system or a userinterface of an OTT (over-the-top) service provider.

In some embodiments, display 400 depicts a list of several shows 412,414, and 416 (each one containing multiple episodes). Each listing mayinclude a user interface element (e.g., a play button) that is used torequest playing of that show. For example, the user may request playbackof show “Game of Thrones” by pressing a play button next to the text“Game of Thrones.” In some embodiments, display 400 may depict bingemode selection interface 404. For example, the binge mode selectioninterface may include checkboxes 406, 408, and 410 for each of thelisted shows 412, 414, and 416. If the user checks the box 406, themedia delivery application may always play the associated show (e.g.,“Game of Thrones”) in binge mode from that point on. For example, if theuser clicks the play button next to listing 412, the media deliveryapplication may begin playing episodes of the Game of Thrones show in acontinuous watching mode as described in relation to FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 depicts another illustrative user interface provided by the mediadelivery application, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary user interface provided by themedia delivery application while media content is being played on screen500. For example, the media delivery application may be generatingscenes 502 of “Game of Thrones” on screen 500.

During the presentation of scene 502, the media delivery application mayalso provide user interface that includes a progress bar (that mayinclude segments 504, 506, and 508). The media delivery application maydisplay progress indicator 518 which shows the current play position.For example, progress indicator 518 may be in the middle of segment 506while the scene 502 is generated for display.

In some embodiments, segment 504 is a title credits portion and segment508 is an end credits portion. The user interface may include playbutton 516, rewind button 514, and fast-forward button 520. The userinterface may also include binge mode toggle 510, which may be checked512 or unchecked (not shown). If binge mode toggle 510, is checked, themedia delivery application may operate in a continuous watching mode asdescribed with regards to FIG. 1 . Otherwise, the media deliveryapplication may operate in normal playing mode.

In some embodiments, when binge mode toggle 510 is checked portions 504and 508 may be no longer displayed as part of the progress bar. In oneimplementation, when binge mode toggle 510 is checked the progress barmay be modified to show several content portions of episodes mergedtogether (e.g., as shown in elements 620, 622, and 624 of FIG. 6 ) toform one virtual content. When binge mode toggle 510 is checked, themedia delivery application may completely skip portions 504 and 508during play operation caused by a press of button 516, during rewindoperation caused by press of a button 514, and during fast-forwardoperation caused by press of button 520.

FIG. 6 depicts another illustrative scenario for a media deliveryapplication providing media content in a continuous watching mode, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In some embodiments,the media delivery application may receive a request to play a show thatincludes three episodes (Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3) in a bingemode. Episode 1 may include title credits 602, content portion 604, andend credits 606. Episode 2 may include title credits 608, contentportion 610, and end credits 612. Episode 3 may include title credits614, content portion 616, and end credits 618.

In response to this request, the media delivery application may play thecontent portions of the episodes 620, 622, and 624 as if they are asingle virtual media item. For example, first frame of portion 622 maybe spliced right after the last frame of portion 620. Additionally,first frame of portion 624 may be spliced right after the last frame ofportion 622. In this way the episodes are played smoothly withoutinterruption by any of credits portions 602, 606, 608, 612, 614, and618. Further, during any rewind or fast-forward operation, the mediadelivery application will smoothly transition between content portions620, 622, and 624. For example, when portion 622 is done rewinding, themedia delivery application may begin rewinding portion 620 withoutinterruption. In another example, when portion 622 is done beingfast-forwarded, the media delivery application may begin rewindingportion 624 without interruption.

FIG. 7 shows an illustrative block diagram of a system 700 fordisplaying content based on event monitoring, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. In various aspects, system 700 includesone or more of server 702, media content source 704, media guidance datasource 706, communication network 708, and one or more computing devices710, such as user television equipment 710 a (e.g., a set-top box), usercomputer equipment 710 b (e.g., a laptop), and/or wireless usercommunications device 710 c (e.g., a smartphone device).

Although FIG. 7 shows one of each component, in various examples, system700 may include fewer than the illustrated components and/or multiplesof one or more illustrated components. Communication network 708 may beany type of communication network, such as the Internet, a mobile phonenetwork, mobile voice or data network (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), cablenetwork, public switched telephone network, or any combination of two ormore of such communication networks. Communication network 708 includesone or more communication paths, such as a satellite path, a fiber-opticpath, a cable path, a path that supports Internet communications (e.g.,IPTV), free-space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wirelesssignals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communication path orcombination of such paths. Communication network 708 communicativelycouples various components of system 700 to one another. For instance,server 702 may be communicatively coupled to media content source 704,media guidance data source 706, and/or computing device 710 viacommunication network 708.

In some examples, media content source 704 and media guidance datasource 706 may be integrated as one device. Media content source 704 mayinclude one or more types of content distribution equipment including atelevision distribution facility, cable system headend, satellitedistribution facility, programming sources (e.g., televisionbroadcasters, such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distributionfacilities and/or servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers,and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by the NationalBroadcasting Company, Inc.; ABC is a trademark owned by the AmericanBroadcasting Company, Inc.; and HBO is a trademark owned by the Home BoxOffice, Inc. Media content source 704 may be the originator of content(e.g., a television broadcaster, a Webcast provider, etc.) or may not bethe originator of content (e.g., an on-demand content provider, anInternet provider of content of broadcast programs for downloading,etc.). Media content source 704 may include cable sources, satelliteproviders, on-demand providers, Internet providers, over-the-top contentproviders, or other providers of content. Media content source 704 mayalso include a remote media server used to store different types ofcontent (e.g., including video content selected by a user) in a locationremote from computing device 710. Systems and methods for remote storageof content and providing remotely stored content to user equipment arediscussed in greater detail in connection with Ellis et al., U.S. Pat.No. 7,761,892, issued Jul. 20, 2010, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

Media content source 704 and media guidance data source 706 may providecontent and/or media guidance data to computing device 710 and/or server702 using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, media guidancedata source 706 may provide a stand-alone interactive television programguide that receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., acontinuous feed or trickle feed). In some examples, media guidance datasource 706 may provide program schedule data and other guidance data tocomputing device 710 on a television channel sideband, using an in-banddigital signal, an out-of-band digital signal, or any other suitabledata transmission technique.

As described in further detail below, server 702 manages thecommunication of a live content stream (e.g., a live sporting eventbroadcast, a live news broadcast, or the like) and recorded streams frommedia content source 704 to computing device 710 via communicationnetwork 708. For instance, in some embodiments, content from mediacontent source 704 and/or guidance data from media guidance data source706 may be provided to computing device 710 using a client/serverapproach. In such examples, computing device 710 may pull content and/ormedia guidance data from server 702 and/or server 702 may push contentand/or media guidance data to computing device 710. In some embodiments,a client application residing on computing device 710 may initiatesessions with server 702, media content source 704, and/or mediaguidance data source 706 to obtain content and/or guidance data whenneeded, e.g., when the guidance data is out of date or when computingdevice 710 receives a request from the user to receive content orguidance data. In various aspects, server 702 may also be configured todetect events within the live content stream and, based on the detectedevents, control the display of content and/or navigation menu optionsvia computing device 710. Additionally, although FIG. 7 shows mediacontent source 704 and media guidance data source 706 as separate fromserver 702, in some embodiments, media content source 704 and/or mediaguidance data source 706 may be integrated as one device with server702.

Content and/or media guidance data delivered to computing device 710 maybe over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery allowsInternet-enabled user devices, such as computing device 710, to receivecontent that is transferred over the Internet, including any contentdescribed above, in addition to content received over cable or satelliteconnections. OTT content is delivered via an Internet connectionprovided by an Internet service provider (ISP), but a third partydistributes the content. The ISP may not be responsible for the viewingabilities, copyrights, or redistribution of the content, and maytransfer only IP packets provided by the OTT content provider. Examplesof OTT content providers include FACEBOOK, AMAZON, YOUTUBE, NETFLIX, andHULU, which provide audio and video via IP packets. YouTube is atrademark owned by Google LLC; Netflix is a trademark owned by Netflix,Inc.; Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu, LLC; Facebook is a trademarkowned by Facebook, Inc.; and Amazon is a trademark owned by Amazon.com,Inc. OTT content providers may also include any other OTT contentprovider. OTT content providers may additionally or alternativelyprovide media guidance data described above. In addition to contentand/or media guidance data, providers of OTT content can distributeapplications (e.g., web-based applications or cloud-based applications),or the content can be displayed by applications stored on computingdevice 710.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative block diagram showing additional details ofthe system 800 (which may be the same as system 700 of FIG. 7 ), inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In particular,server 801 (e.g., the same server as server 702) includes controlcircuitry 802 and I/O path 808, and control circuitry 802 includesstorage 804 and processing circuitry 806. Computing device 860 (e.g.,one or more of devices 710 a, 710, and 710 c) includes control circuitry810, I/O path 816, speaker 818, display 820, and user input interface822. Control circuitry 810 includes storage 812 and processing circuitry814. Control circuitry 802 and/or 810 may be based on any suitableprocessing circuitry such as processing circuitry 806 and/or 814. Asreferred to herein, processing circuitry should be understood to meancircuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers,digital signal processors, programmable logic devices,field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g.,dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores). Insome embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed acrossmultiple separate processors, for example, multiple of the same type ofprocessors (e.g., two Intel Core i9 processors) or multiple differentprocessors (e.g., an Intel Core i7 processor and an Intel Core i9processor).

Each of storage 804, storage 812, and/or storages of other components ofsystem 800 (e.g., storages of media content source 854, media guidancedata source 856, and/or the like) may be an electronic storage device.In some embodiments, media content source 854 may be the same as mediacontent source 704. In some embodiments, media guidance data source 856may be the same as media content source 706. As referred to herein, thephrase “electronic storage device” or “storage device” should beunderstood to mean any device for storing electronic data, computersoftware, or firmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory,hard drives, optical drives, digital video disc (DVD) recorders, compactdisc (CD) recorders, BLU-RAY disc (BD) recorders, BLU-RAY 3D discrecorders, digital video recorders (DVRs, sometimes called a personalvideo recorders, or PVRs), solid state devices, quantum storage devices,gaming consoles, gaming media, or any other suitable fixed or removablestorage devices, and/or any combination of the same. Each of storage804, storage 812, and/or storages of other components of system 800 maybe used to store various types of content, media guidance data, and orother types of data. Non-volatile memory may also be used (e.g., tolaunch a boot-up routine and other instructions). Cloud-based storagemay be used to supplement storages 804, 812 or instead of storages 804,812. In some embodiments, control circuitry 802 and/or 810 executesinstructions for a media delivery application stored in memory (e.g.,storage 804 and/or 812). Specifically, control circuitry 802 and/or 810may be instructed by the media delivery application to perform thefunctions discussed herein. In some implementations, any actionperformed by control circuitry 802 and/or 810 may be based oninstructions received from the media delivery application. For example,the media delivery application may be implemented as software or a setof executable instructions that may be stored in storage 804 and/or 812and executed by control circuitry 802 and/or 810. In some embodiments,the media delivery application may be a client/server media deliveryapplication where only a client media delivery application resides oncomputing device 860, and a server media delivery application resides onserver 801.

The media delivery application may be implemented using any suitablearchitecture. For example, it may be a stand-alone media deliveryapplication wholly implemented on computing device 860. In such anapproach, instructions for the media delivery application are storedlocally (e.g., in storage 812), and data for use by the media deliveryapplication is downloaded on a periodic basis (e.g., from an out-of-bandfeed, from an Internet resource, or using another suitable approach).Control circuitry 814 may retrieve instructions for the media deliveryapplication from storage 812 and process the instructions to perform thefunctionality described herein. Based on the processed instructions,control circuitry 814 may determine what action to perform when input isreceived from user input interface 822.

In client/server-based embodiments, control circuitry 810 may includecommunication circuitry suitable for communicating with a media deliveryapplication server (e.g., server 801) or other networks or servers. Theinstructions for carrying out the functionality described herein may bestored on the application server. Communication circuitry may include acable modem, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) modem, adigital subscriber line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernetcard, a wireless modem for communication with other equipment, or anyother suitable communication circuitry. Such communication may involvethe Internet or any other suitable communication networks or paths(e.g., communication network 858). In some embodiments, communicationnetwork 858 may be the same as network 708. In another example of aclient/server-based application, control circuitry 810 runs a webbrowser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server (e.g.,server 801). For example, the remote server may store the instructionsfor the application in a storage device. The remote server may processthe stored instructions using circuitry (e.g., control circuitry 802)and generate the displays discussed above and below. Computing device860 may receive the displays generated by the remote server and maydisplay the content of the displays locally via display 820. This way,the processing of the instructions is performed remotely (e.g., byserver 801) while the resulting displays, such as the display windowsdescribed elsewhere herein, are provided locally on computing device860. Computing device 860 may receive inputs from the user via inputinterface 822 and transmit those inputs to the remote server forprocessing and generating the corresponding displays.

A user may send instructions to control circuitry 802 and/or 810 usinguser input interface 822. User input interface 822 may be any suitableuser interface, such as a remote control, trackball, keypad, keyboard,touchscreen, touchpad, stylus input, joystick, voice recognitioninterface, or other user input interfaces. User input interface 822 maybe integrated with or combined with display 820, which may be a monitor,television, liquid crystal display (LCD), electronic ink display, or anyother equipment suitable for displaying visual images.

Server 801 and computing device 860 may receive content and data viainput/output (hereinafter “I/O”) path 808 and 816, respectively. Forinstance, I/O path 816 may include circuitry that includes one or moreof communication port configured to receive a live content stream fromserver 801 and/or media content source 854 via a communication network858. Storage 812 may be configured to buffer the received live contentstream for playback, and display 820 may be configured to present thebuffered content, navigation options, alerts, and/or the like via aprimary display window and/or a secondary display window. I/O paths 808,816 may provide content (e.g., a live stream of content, broadcastprogramming, on-demand programming, Internet content, content availableover a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and/or othercontent) and data to control circuitry 802, 810. Control circuitry 802,810 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and othersuitable data using I/O paths 808, 816. I/O paths 808, 816 may connectcontrol circuitry 802, 810 (and specifically processing circuitry 806,814) to one or more communication paths (described below). I/O functionsmay be provided by one or more of these communication paths but areshown as single paths in FIG. 8 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

In some embodiments, storage 812 may include a buffer portion designatedfor buffering media streams received from server 801, or media contentsource 854. In some embodiments, the buffer may be a virtual designatedportion of a device used for other storage. In some embodiments, thebuffer may be a stand-alone device dedicated to the buffering operationof media content being played.

Having described systems 700 and 800, reference is now made to FIG. 9 ,which depicts an illustrative flowchart of process 900 for providingmedia content in a continuous watching mode that may be implemented byusing systems 700 and 800 in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure. In various embodiments, individual steps of process 900 maybe implemented by one or more components of systems 700 and 800.Although the present disclosure may describe certain steps of process900 (and of other processes described herein) as being implemented bycertain components of systems 700 and 800, this is for purposes ofillustration only, and it should be understood that other components ofsystems 700 and 800 may implement those steps instead. For example,steps of process 900 may be executed by server 801 and/or by computingdevice 860 to provide a continuous watching mode.

At step 902, control circuitry 860 may receive a command to play aseries in binge mode or in continuous watching mode. For example, thecommand may be received via user interface input 822 (e.g., as depictedby FIG. 4 ). For example, control circuitry 860 may receive a selectionof playback request of “Game of Thrones” with additional inputindicating selection of playback in the binge mode. In some embodiments,“Game of Thrones” may include multiple consecutive episodes (e.g.,Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 etc.)

At step 904, control circuitry 860 may begin generating for display afirst episode of the series (e.g., Episode 1 of “Game of Thrones”). Forexample, the episode may be derived from media content source 854 (e.g.,as on-demand show) or from server 801 (e.g., as OTT show delivered vianetwork 858). In some embodiments, the control circuitry 860 maygenerate the first episode on display 820.

At 906, control circuitry 860 may check if Episode 1 is at an end. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may check if the last frame of contentportion of Episode 1 was shown. If not, control circuitry 860 mayproceed back to step 904. If so, control circuitry 860 may proceed tostep 908. At 908, control circuitry 860 may check whether binge mode isenabled. For example, control circuitry 860 may determine whethercheckbox 510 of the user interface depicted in FIG. 5 is checked. Ifnot, control circuitry 860 may proceed back to step 904 and continuegenerating Episode 1 for display. For example, control circuitry 860 maycontinue showing end credits of Episode 1. If so, control circuitry 860may proceed to 910.

At 910, control circuitry 860 may automatically skip end credits of thefirst episode. For example, credits may be skipped without anyadditional input requesting a skip being received from the user. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may avoid generating for display anyframes determined to belong to end credits of the first episode.

At 912, control circuitry 860 may automatically begin generating fordisplay a second episode of the series (e.g., Episode 2 of “Game ofThrones”). For example, control circuitry 860 may request playback ofthe second episode of the series from media content source 854 or fromserver 801 without a user input requesting playback of Episode 2. At914, control circuitry 860 may check whether binge mode is enabled. Forexample, the check may be performed in the same way as it was performedin step 908. If binge mode is enabled, process 900 proceeds to step 916.Otherwise, process 900 proceeds to step 918.

At 916, control circuitry 860 may skip title credits of the secondepisode. For example, credits may be skipped without any additionalinput requesting a skip being received from the user. For example,control circuitry 860 may avoid generating for display any framesdetermined to belong to end credits of the first episode. At 918,control circuitry 860 may generate the title credits of Episode 2 fordisplay, as normal.

At 920, control circuitry 860 may begin to generate for display thecontent portion of the second episode. For example, control circuitry860 may generate for display frames of the second episode (e.g., statingfrom the first frame of the second episode) immediately after the lastframe of the first episode is generated. In some embodiments, controlcircuitry 860 may begin buffering frames of the content portion of thesecond episode as the playing of the first episode is nearing theconclusion. For example, one minute before the end of Episode 1, controlcircuitry 860 may begin buffering (e.g., using buffer of storage 812)frames of Episode 2, by requesting such frames from one of server 801 ormedia content source 854.

Reference is now made to FIG. 10 , which depicts an illustrativeflowchart of process 1000 for providing rewind functionality incontinuous watching mode that may be implemented by using systems 700and 800 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Invarious embodiments, individual steps of process 1000 may be implementedby one or more components of systems 700 and 800. Although the presentdisclosure may describe certain steps of process 1000 (and of otherprocesses described herein) as being implemented by certain componentsof systems 700 and 800, this is for purposes of illustration only, andit should be understood that other components of systems 700 and 800 mayimplement those steps instead. For example, steps of process 1000 may beexecuted by server 801 and/or by computing device 860 to provide acontinuous watching mode.

At step 1002, control circuitry 860 may receive a command to rewindcontent while the first episode of a series is being displayed. Forexample, the command may be received via user interface input 822 (e.g.,as depicted by FIG. 4 ). For example, control circuitry 860 may receivea selection of a rewind request while Episode 2 of “Game of Thrones” isbeing shown. In some embodiments, “Game of Thrones” may include multipleconsecutive episodes (e.g., Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, etc.).

At step 1004, control circuitry 860 may begin rewinding the firstepisode of the series (e.g., Episode 2 of “Game of Thrones”). Forexample, the episode may be being received from media content source 854(e.g., as on-demand show) or from server 801 (e.g., as OTT showdelivered via network 858). In some embodiments, the control circuitry860 may rewind the episode by generating frames of the first episode ondisplay 820 in reverse order at increased rate and/or with some framesbeing skipped.

At 1006, control circuitry 860 may check if the first episode (e.g.,Episode 2) has been rewound to the beginning. For example, controlcircuitry 860 may check if the first frame of the content portion ofEpisode 2 was shown. If not, control circuitry 860 may proceed back tostep 1004. If so, control circuitry 860 may proceed to step 1008. At1008, control circuitry 860 may check whether binge mode is enabled. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may determine whether checkbox 510 of theuser interface depicted in FIG. 5 is checked. If not, control circuitry860 may proceed back to step 1004 and continue rewinding Episode 2. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may continue rewinding through titlecredits of Episode 1. If so, control circuitry 860 may proceed to 1010.

At 1010, control circuitry 860 may automatically start rewinding aprevious episode (e.g., Episode 1 of “Game of Thrones”). For example,title credits of the first episode may be skipped without any additionalinput requesting such a skip. Furthermore, control circuitry 860 maybegin generating for display the stream of the previous episode withoutreceiving any additional command requesting the previous episode fromthe user. For example, control circuitry 860 may avoid generating fordisplay any frames determined to belong to end credits of the firstepisode and begin generating for display frames of the previous episode(starting from the end) in the rewind mode. That is, control circuitry860 may begin generating for display frames of the previous episode(received from server 801 or from media content source 854) startingfrom the end, in reverse direction at increased speed and/or with someframes being skipped.

At 1012, control circuitry 860 may check whether binge mode is enabled.For example, the check may be performed in the same way as it wasperformed in step 1008. If binge mode is enabled, process 1000 proceedsto step 1014. Otherwise, process 1000 proceeds to step 1016.

At 1014, control circuitry 860 may skip end credits of the previousepisode. For example, credits may be skipped without any additionalinput requesting a skip being received from the user. For example,control circuitry 860 may avoid generating for display any framesdetermined to belong to end credits of the previous episode. At 1016,control circuitry 860 may generate the end credits of Episode 2 fordisplay, in a rewind mode.

At 1018, control circuitry 860 may begin to rewind through the contentportion of the previous episode. For example, control circuitry 860 maygenerate for display frames of the previous episode immediately afterthe first frame of the first episode is generated. In some embodiments,control circuitry 860 may begin buffering frames of the content portionof the previous episode as the rewind operation of the first episode isnearing the conclusion. For example, one minute before Episode 2 isrewound to the beginning, control circuitry 860 may begin buffering(e.g., using buffer of storage 812) frames of Episode 1, by requestingsuch frames from one of server 801 or media content source 854.

Reference is now made to FIG. 11 , which depicts an illustrativeflowchart of process 1200 for providing fast-forward functionality, in acontinuous watching mode that may be implemented by using systems 700and 800 in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Invarious embodiments, individual steps of process 1100 may be implementedby one or more components of systems 700 and 800. Although the presentdisclosure may describe certain steps of process 1100 (and of otherprocesses described herein) as being implemented by certain componentsof systems 700 and 800, this is for purposes of illustration only, andit should be understood that other components of systems 700 and 800 mayimplement those steps instead. For example, steps of process 1100 may beexecuted by server 801 and/or by computing device 860 to provide acontinuous watching mode.

At step 1102, control circuitry 860 may receive a command tofast-forward content while first episode of a series is being displayed.For example, the command may be received via user interface input 822(e.g., as depicted by FIG. 4 ). For example, control circuitry 860 mayreceive a selection of a fast-forward request while Episode 1 of “Gameof Thrones” is being shown. In some embodiments, “Game of Thrones” mayinclude multiple consecutive episodes (e.g., Episode 1, Episode 2,Episode 3, etc.).

At step 1104, control circuitry 860 may begin to fast-forward firstepisode of the series (e.g., Episode 1 of “Game of Thrones”). Forexample, the episode may be being received from media content source 854(e.g., as on-demand show) or from server 801 (e.g., as OTT showdelivered via network 858). In some embodiments, the control circuitry860 may fast-forward the episode by generating frames of the firstepisode on display 820 in forward order at increased rate and/or withsome frames being skipped.

At 1106, control circuitry 860 may check if the first episode (e.g.,Episode 1) has been fast-forwarded to the end. For example, controlcircuitry 860 may check if the last frame of content portion of Episode1 was shown. If not, control circuitry 860 may proceed back to step1104. If so, control circuitry 860 may proceed to step 1108. At 1108,control circuitry 860 may check whether binge mode is enabled. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may determine whether checkbox 510 of theuser interface depicted in FIG. 5 is checked. If not, control circuitry860 may proceed back to step 1104 and continue fast-forwardingEpisode 1. For example, control circuitry 860 may continuefast-forwarding through the end credits of Episode 1. If so, controlcircuitry 860 may proceed to 1110.

At 1110, control circuitry 860 may automatically start fast-forwarding anext episode (e.g., Episode 2 of “Game of Thrones”). For example, endcredits of the first episode may be skipped without any additional inputrequesting such a skip. Furthermore, control circuitry 860 may begingenerating for display the stream of the next episode without receivingany additional command requesting the next episode from the user. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may avoid generating for display anyframes determined to belong to end credits of the first episode andbegin generating for display frames of the next episode (starting fromthe beginning) in the fast-forward mode. That is, control circuitry 860may begin generating for display frames of the next episode (e.g., asreceived from server 801 of from media content source 854) starting fromthe beginning, in a forward direction at increased speed and/or withsome frames being skipped.

At 1112, control circuitry 860 may check whether binge mode is enabled.For example, the check may be performed in the same way as it wasperformed in step 1108. If binge mode is enabled, process 1100 proceedsto step 1114. Otherwise, the process 1000 proceeds to step 1116.

At 1114, control circuitry 860 may skip title credits of the nextepisode. For example, credits may be skipped without any additionalinput requesting a skip being received from the user. For example,control circuitry 860 may avoid generating for display any framesdetermined to belong to title credits of the next episode. At 1016,control circuitry 860 may generate the title credits of Episode 2 fordisplay, in fast-forward mode.

At 1118, control circuitry 860 may begin to fast-forward the contentportion of the next episode. For example, control circuitry 860 maygenerate for display frames of the of the next episode immediately afterthe last frame of the first episode is generated. In some embodiments,control circuitry 860 may begin buffering frames of the content portionof the next episode as the fast-forward operation of the first episodeis nearing the conclusion. For example, one minute before Episode 2 isfast-forwarded to its end, control circuitry 860 may begin buffering(e.g., using buffer of storage 812) frames of Episode 2, by requestingsuch frames from one of server 801 or media content source 854.

Reference is now made to FIG. 12 , which depicts an illustrativeflowchart of process 1200 for a process for buffering of episodes of ashow that may be implemented by using systems 700 and 800 in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure. In various embodiments,individual steps of process 1200 may be implemented by one or morecomponents of systems 700 and 800. Although the present disclosure maydescribe certain steps of process 1200 (and of other processes describedherein) as being implemented by certain components of systems 700 and800, this is for purposes of illustration only, and it should beunderstood that other components of systems 700 and 800 may implementthose steps instead. For example, steps of process 1200 may be executedby server 801 and/or by computing device 860 to provide a continuouswatching mode.

In some embodiments, steps of process 1200 may be performed as part ofone or more of processes 900, 1000, 1100. For example, control circuitry860 may start buffering an episode other than the one that is currentlybeing played based on the steps provided by process 1200.

At 1202, control circuitry 860 may detect that an episode that iscurrently being played (e.g., as part of step 904) will finish playingbefore a predetermined time period (e.g., before 1 minute or before 30seconds). The predetermines time period may be static or dynamicallycalculated (e.g., based on latency of network 856). When such adetection is made, control circuitry 860 may proceed to step 1206.

Similarly, at 1204, control circuitry 860 may detect that an episodethat is currently being fast-forwarded (e.g., as part of step 1204) willfinish being fast-forwarded before a predetermined time period (e.g.,before one minute or before 30 seconds). The predetermined time periodmay be static or dynamically calculated (e.g., based on latency ofnetwork 856). When such a detection is made, control circuitry 860 mayproceed to step 1206.

At 1206, control circuitry 860 may begin buffering frames of an episodethat follows an episode that was being generated for display at step1202 or 1204. For example, control circuitry 860 may begin requestingframes of the next episodes from one of server 801 or media contentsource 854, and place the frames in the buffer of storage 812. When thenext episode is ready to be played or be fast-forwarded through, controlcircuitry 860 may use the buffer to generate for display the frames ofthe next episode, while a new connection to server 801 or media contentsource 854 is being established. The buffer will then be replenishedfrom server 801 or media content source 854 as the next episode isplayed.

At 1208, control circuitry 860 may detect that an episode that iscurrently being rewound (e.g., as part of step 1004) will finish beingrewound before a predetermined time period (e.g., before one minute orbefore 30 seconds). The predetermined time period may be static ordynamically calculated (e.g., based on latency of network 856). Whensuch a detection is made, control circuitry 860 may proceed to step1210.

At 1210, control circuitry 860 may begin buffering frames of an episodethat precedes an episode that was being generated for display at steps1202 or 1204. For example, control circuitry 860 may begin requestingframes of the previous episode from one of server 801 or media contentsource 854, and place the frames in buffer of storage 812. When theprevious episode is ready to be played or be rewound through, controlcircuitry 860 may use the buffer to generate for display the frames ofthe previous episode, while a new connection to server 801 or mediacontent source 854 is being established. The buffer will then bereplenished from server 801 or media content source 854 as the previousepisode is played or rewound.

Reference is now made to FIG. 13 , which depicts an illustrativeflowchart of process 1300 for a process of identifying titles portionsof an episode that may be implemented by using systems 700 and 800 inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. In variousembodiments, individual steps of process 1300 may be implemented by oneor more components of systems 700 and 800. Although the presentdisclosure may describe certain steps of process 1300 (and of otherprocesses described herein) as being implemented by certain componentsof systems 700 and 800, this is for purposes of illustration only, andit should be understood that other components of systems 700 and 800 mayimplement those steps instead. For example, steps of process 1300 may beexecuted by server 801 and/or by computing device 860 to provide acontinuous watching mode. In some embodiments, steps of process 1300 maybe performed as part of one or more of processes 900, 1000, or 1100. Forexample, control circuitry 860 may use process 1300 to determine whichparts of an episode are title credits or end credits (e.g., so that suchportions may be skipped).

At 1302, control circuitry 860 may compare a first episode to a secondepisode. For example, video frames of Episode 1 of “Games of Thrones” toEpisode 2 of “Games of Thrones.” For example, image signatures (e.g.,Fourier Transform Frequency decompositions) of the frames of the firstepisode may be compared to image signatures of the second episode. At1304, control circuitry 860 may check if a portion of the first episodethat has image signatures that match image signatures of a portion ofthe second episode has been identified in step 1302. If not, process1300 may continue comparisons at step 1302. If a match is found, process1300 proceeds to 1306.

At 1306, control circuitry 860 may mark matching periods of both thefirst episode and the second episode as “credits.” If the matchingportion is in beginning of the episode, it may be marked as “titlecredits.” If the matching portion is near the end of the episode, it maybe marked as “end credits.”

Alternatively to process 1300, control circuitry 860 may determine whichframes of each episode belong to title credits or to end credits byconsulting metadata of the episode. For example, metadata (e.g.,provided by server 801 or by media guidance data source 856) may includea listing of frames that belong to credits sections.

The systems and processes discussed above are intended to beillustrative and not limiting. One skilled in the art would appreciatethat the actions of the processes discussed herein may be omitted,modified, combined, and/or rearranged, and any additional actions may beperformed without departing from the scope of the invention. Moregenerally, the above disclosure is meant to be exemplary and notlimiting. Only the claims that follow are meant to set bounds as to whatthe present disclosure includes. Furthermore, it should be noted thatthe features and limitations described in any one embodiment may beapplied to any other embodiment herein, and flowcharts or examplesrelating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment ina suitable manner, done in different orders, or done in parallel. Inaddition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed inreal time. It should also be noted that the systems and/or methodsdescribed above may be applied to, or used in accordance with, othersystems and/or methods.

1.-50. (canceled)
 51. A method for providing media content for continuous watching, the method comprising: receiving a command to play, wherein the command identifies at least an episode of a series, wherein the series comprises a plurality of sequential episodes; and in response to receiving the command to play, and without detecting a further command to skip a portion of an episode: generating for display a first episode of the series; and in response to conclusion of the first episode: automatically skipping at least a portion of end credits of the first episode and at least a portion of title credits of a next episode of the series; and automatically generating for display the next episode of the series, wherein automatically generating for display the next episode of the series comprises: generating for display the next episode of the series after the conclusion of the first episode without detecting a further command to play the next episode of the series; generating for display a first frame of the next episode after generating for display the last frame of the first episode without detecting a further command to play the next episode of the series; and buffering frames of the next episode before the conclusion of the first episode.
 52. The method of claim 51, wherein receiving the command to play comprises: receiving a selection of the series; and receiving a selection of an option to play the series.
 53. The method of claim 51, wherein automatically skipping at least a portion of the end credits of the first episode comprises: identifying frames of the first episode that are a part of the end credits; and preventing generation for display of at least a portion of the identified frames.
 54. The method of claim 51, wherein automatically skipping at least a portion of the title credits of the next episode comprises: identifying frames of the next episode that are a part of the title credits; and preventing generation for display of at least a portion of the identified frames.
 55. The method of claim 51, the method further comprising: detecting that the first episode will finish playing after a predetermined time period, and wherein the buffering of the frames of the content portion of the next episode is performed in response to the detecting.
 56. The method of claim 51, the method further comprising: identifying the end credits and the title credits by examining metadata of the episodes of the series.
 57. The method of claim 51, the method further comprising: identifying the end credits and the title credits by comparing the first episode and the next episode to each other to identify similar portions of the episodes.
 58. A system for providing media content for continuous watching, the system comprising: input/output circuitry configured to receive a command to play, wherein the command identifies at least an episode of a series, wherein the series comprises a plurality of sequential episodes; and control circuitry configured to: in response to receiving the command to play, and without detecting a further command to skip a portion of an episode: generate for display a first episode of the series; and in response to conclusion of the first episode: automatically skip at least a portion of end credits of the first episode and at least a portion of title credits of a next episode of the series; and automatically generate for display the next episode of the series, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically generate for display the next episode of the series by: generating for display the next episode of the series after the conclusion of the first episode without detecting a further command to play the next episode of the series; generating for display a first frame of the next episode after generating for display the last frame of the first episode without detecting a further command to play the next episode of the series; and buffering frames of the next episode before the conclusion of the first episode.
 59. The system of claim 58, wherein the input/output circuitry is configured to receive the command to play by: receiving a selection of the series; and receiving a selection of an option to play the series.
 60. The system of claim 58, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically skip the end credits of the first episode by: identifying frames of the first episode that are a part of the end credits; and preventing generation for display of at least a portion of the identified frames.
 61. The system of claim 58, wherein the control circuitry is configured to automatically skip the title credits of the next episode by: identifying frames of the next episode that are a part of the title credits; and preventing generation for display of at least a portion of the identified frames.
 62. The system of claim 58, wherein the control circuitry is configured to: detect that the first episode will finish playing after a predetermined time period, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to buffer the frames of the content portion of the next episode in response to the detecting.
 63. The system of claim 58, wherein the control circuitry is configured to: identify the end credits and the title credits by examining metadata of the episodes of the series.
 64. The system of claim 58, wherein the control circuitry is configured to: identify the end credits and the title credits by comparing the first episode and the next episode to each other to identify similar portions of the episodes. 